NON-VIOLENT PUBLIC SPACES

ESPACES PUBLICS NON VIOLENTS

NON-VIOLENT PUBLIC SPACES

All public spaces are exposed to cyber-violence.

Implementing respect means first of all displaying it. Violence in public spaces isn’t necessarily just verbal. Displaying the respect label is a driving force for reducing violence in public spaces and increasing the respect given to people welcoming the public.

This is what we at Respect Zone are counting on.

Displaying the respect label in urban settings is a goal we have already started working towards. Several townships, such as Chevry-Cossigny, Magny en Vexin, and Neuilly-sur-Seine display the Respect Zone label. Other municipalities in France and Belgium are on their way to being certified, following the lead of these first towns. The movement is underway.

Displaying the respect label throughout a township’s digital and physical spaces is a natural step to take during the development of a respect policy. Being together, living together, means we have to know how to respect basic rules which we must be reminded of, lest we forget. The second township to be certified was Magny-en-Vexin in the Val d’Oise.The Respect Zone label has indeed had a positive effect, as it was by surfing the Internet that Respect Zone discovered that the first town in the Val d’Oise had certified themselves.

Franck GHIRARDELLO, Mayor of Chevry-Cossigny (Dept. 77), the first town to be certified as a Respect Zone.

When a town is certified, this opens up fantastic perspectives on how respect can be spread in public spaces. All public spaces can be labelled by a local authority. This goes from the town sign, to websites, profile pictures on social media, the email signatures of civil servants, schools run by the local authority, public transport, waiting areas, bus shelters, waiting rooms, the town hall itself, public venues, police stations, merchants’ associations, parking tickets, etc.

Keeping the peace means displaying the label, formulating local laws, announcing them, and not forgetting humour.

The latest pétanque tournament in Chevry-Cossigny near Brie Comte Robert was entitled the “Respect Zone Challenge”.

The Respect Zone propositions are full of ways to help, within the boundaries of respect.

Key words

RESPECT ZONE
A non-governmental organisation (non-profit association). Initiative for positive, non-violent communication, the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and the incitement of violence,on line and in public."​